- Libertarian National Committee Issues Demand Letter to Former Chair
Source: Independent Political Report
“The Libertarian National Committee is pursuing restitution from former national chair Angela McArdle over payments made to Freedom Calls, LLC, a fundraising firm contracted during her tenure that was linked to her partner without prior disclosure. The organization said it issued a demand letter this month. … A Special Investigatory Committee was appointed by the LNC to look into the situation further following McArdle’s resignation. In its 94-page report, the committee concluded that McArdle engaged in ‘gross fiduciary violations,’ failed to disclose conflicts of interest, and misused donor funds for unauthorized activities. It also found that the LNC ultimately paid Freedom Calls around $45,600 while receiving only a fraction of that amount back in donations.” (12/11/25)
- Tanzania: Opposition calls for transitional government after disputed election
Source: ABC News
“Tanzania’s main opposition party called Thursday for the establishment of a transitional government after a disputed election that it was barred from taking part in, saying the current government has ‘no legitimacy.’ John Heche, vice chair of the opposition party Chadema, said the United Nations and African continental bodies should oversee a transitional government and a fresh, fair election. He said the Oct. 29 election, which the ruling party won by more than 97%, was null and void, and called for the dissolution of the Tanzanian electoral body.” (12/11/25)
- Bulgaria: Prime Minister Resigns in the Face of Mass Protests
Source: New York Times
“Bulgaria’s prime minister resigned on Thursday after less than a year in office, acknowledging ‘the voice of the people’ after mass protests against his government in recent weeks. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament in the capital, Sofia, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced he was stepping down, becoming the latest in a revolving door of prime ministers to leave over the past four years. His departure was fomented by continued economic instability in one of the European Union’s consistently poorest countries. Bulgaria is set to join the eurozone on Jan. 1.” (12/11/25)
- Judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release from ICE custody
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A judge has ordered the immediate release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly [sic] deported and brought back to the US to face criminal charges, from immigration custody. US District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland said since returning to the US, Mr Abrego Garcia was re-detained ‘without lawful authority’. The order means he can at least temporarily return to his home in Maryland. The Department of Homeland Security said the decision was ‘naked judicial activism’ and ‘lacks any valid legal basis’. The case became a focal point in the administration’s crackdown on immigration after he was deported to El Salvador in March, despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation. Judge Xinis wrote in her ruling that the government did not have a removal order, which blocks it from deporting Mr Abrego Garcia ‘at this juncture’.” (12/11/25)
- Austria: Pols pass headscarf ban for under-14s in schools
Sourced: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Austria’s lower house of parliament has passed a ban on Muslim headscarves in schools after a previous ban was overturned on the grounds that it was discriminatory. Lawmakers passed the new legislation on Thursday by a large majority, meaning that girls younger than 14 will not be permitted to wear headscarves that ‘cover the head in accordance with Islamic traditions’ in all schools, with non-compliance fines ranging from 150 to 800 euros ($175-930). In 2019, the country introduced a ban on headscarves for under-10s in primary schools, but the Constitutional Court struck it down the following year, ruling that it was illegal because it discriminated against Muslims, going against the state’s duty to be religiously neutral.” (12/11/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/11/austrian-lawmakers-pass-headscarf-ban-for-under-14s-in
- Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado vows to bring award back to Venezuela
Source: Reuters
“Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said she planned to take her award back to Venezuela, but declined to say on Thursday when she would return to her home country after leaving in great secrecy to receive the honour. The 58-year-old engineer had secretly left Venezuela for Oslo in defiance of a decade-long travel ban imposed by authorities and after spending more than a year in hiding. ‘I came to receive the prize on behalf of the Venezuelan people and I will take it back to Venezuela at the correct moment,’ she told reporters at Norway’s parliament, dressed in white, declining to say when this would be. When Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in October, she dedicated it in part to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he himself deserved the honour.” (12/11/25)
- Venezuela: Regime Paves Way for Withdrawal From International Criminal Court
Source: US News & World Report
“Venezuela’s national assembly on Thursday unanimously voted to repeal a law which ratified the Rome Statute, paving the way for the country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating human rights abuses in the country. The president of the ruling party-dominated assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, said the law would have immediate effect. Maduro is expected to sign the repeal so the country can formally notify the ICC it intends to withdraw.” (12/11/25)
- MN: Lindell announces run for governor
Source: United Press International
“Mike Lindell, creator of the MyPillow and a noted conspiracy theorist, has announced he is running for governor of Minnesota. Lindell is a longtime friend and supporter of President Donald Trump and is known for saying that voting machines in the United States are rigged and can flip elections. Though he’s lost lawsuits for his election denials, he is still saying that the 2020 election was stolen. He enters a crowded field of Republicans vying for Gov. Tim Walz’s office, including speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Lisa Demuth, former state senator and 2022 Republican nominee for governor Scott Jensen, lawyer Chris Madel and state Rep. Kristin Robbins.” (12/11/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/12/11/mike-lindell-mypillow-minnesota-governor/9461765486561/
- TN: State employees kill prisoner
Source: SFGate
“Tennessee executed Harold Wayne Nichols by lethal injection Thursday in Nashville for the 1988 rape and murder of Karen Pulley, a 20-year-old student at Chattanooga State University. Nichols, 64, had confessed to killing Pulley as well as raping several other women in the Chattanooga area. Although he expressed remorse at trial, he admitted he would have continued his violent behavior had he not been arrested. He was sentenced to death in 1990. ‘To the people I’ve harmed, I’m sorry,’ Nichols said in his final statement. Before Nichols died, a spiritual adviser spoke to him and recited the Lord’s Prayer. They both became emotional and Nichols nodded as the adviser talked, witnesses said. Media witnesses reported that a sheet was pulled up to just above Nichols’ waist and he was strapped to a gurney with a long tube running to an IV insertion site on the inside of his elbow.” (12/11/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/tennessee-to-execute-a-man-who-confessed-to-1980s-21236213.php
- IL: Charges dismissed after grand jury refuses to indict Laugh Factor manager for resisting gang thugs
Source: Chicago Tribune
“A federal judge on Wednesday ruled to formally dismiss the case against a Lakeview comedy club manager whom federal authorities had accused of slamming the door on the leg of a Border Patrol [gang member] during an October immigration arrest. Nathan Griffin, 25, was charged Oct. 27 with assaulting, interfering with or impeding a federal [gang member] after he allegedly shut a car door on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection [gang member] in a scuffle that followed an immigration enforcement [abduction] near the Laugh Factory, at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Broadway. A grand jury ultimately refused to indict him.” (12/10/25)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/10/charges-dismissed-comedy-club-manager-agent-assault/
- Amnesty International accuses Hamas of crimes against humanity during October 7 attack
Source: Le Monde [France]
“On Thursday, December 11, Amnesty International accused Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups for the first time of crimes against humanity, including extermination, during and after the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war in Gaza. … The rights group has also accused Israel of committing genocide in its retaliatory campaign in Gaza, an accusation that Israel has vehemently denied. … Amnesty has previously accused Hamas and other groups of committing war crimes, which are serious violations of international law against civilians and combatants during armed conflict. Crimes against humanity can occur in peacetime and include torture, rape and discrimination, be it racial, ethnic, cultural, religious or gender-based.” (12/11/25)
- Report: AOC splurged nearly $50k on pricey hotel stays, dining & renting Puerto Rico concert venue
Source: New York Post
“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) dropped almost $50,000 on hotels and meals in Puerto Rico in the third quarter of this year — as well as renting a San Juan venue where she was caught on tape grooving at an August Bad Bunny concert. AOC’s principal campaign committee shelled out $680.52 on July 28 to stay at the lavish Hotel Palacio Provincial, along with another $1,507.26 on Aug. 29 and a whopping $9,440,79 on Sept. 29, according to third quarter federal campaign finance filings — even as the ‘Squad’ rep on her social media accounts denounced gentrification that was taking place on the island. The ‘first-class’, ‘adults only’ Palacio Provincial boasts of being ‘situated within an historic early 19th century building’ with ‘transcendent hints of the structure’s grand colonial past.'” (12/11/25)
- Portugal: General Strike Stalls Transport, Closes Schools in Labour Reform Protest
Source: US News & World Report
“Train services ground to a halt across Portugal on Thursday, hundreds of flights were cancelled, and schools closed as unions launched a first general strike in more than a decade, in protest against proposed labour reforms. The minority centre-right government says the proposed changes – amending more than 100 labour-code articles – aim to boost productivity and spur economic growth. But unions accuse it of tilting power toward employers at the expense of workers’ rights, despite a strong economy and low unemployment. The bill, yet to be submitted to parliament, is expected to pass with backing from the far-right Chega party. Some public transport operated due to minimum service requirements imposed by authorities, but Lisbon’s streets were noticeably quieter. While hospitals stayed open, most surgeries and appointments have been postponed as nursing staff walked out.” (12/11/25)
- US FDA investigating possible adult deaths from COVID vaccines
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“The Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether COVID-19 vaccines caused deaths in adults, as part of a safety review that earlier appeared to just be focused on children. The investigation, being conducted across different divisions of the FDA, comes at a time when U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is upending longstanding guidance for a wide range of vaccines. The ‘FDA is doing a thorough investigation, across multiple age groups, of deaths potentially related to COVID vaccines,’ a spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg Tuesday.” (12/10/25)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/12/10/covid-possible-covid-vaccine-deaths/
- Regime Change: Adam Smith Talks One Game and Spends on Another
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“‘[T]here is no way on earth we should be going to war or trying to do regime change in Venezuela,’ US Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) told The Hill on December 4. The US, says Smith, ‘should be out of the regime-change business.’ So, did Smith still think that on December 9, when US military aircraft overflew the Gulf of Venezuela, and on December 10, when US troops — in a blatant act of piracy on the high seas — hijacked a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean? On December 10, Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, came out in support of forking over nearly $1 trillion to the US regime-change machine. … In what universe do you shut down a business by shoveling money at it?” (12/11/25)
- Bypassing the Aussie ban on under-16s
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie“Many under-16s in Australia might try to bypass the new social-media ban under which, from 10 December 2025, all major social-media platforms must prevent Australians under 16 from holding accounts. … A survey of nearly 19,000 Australians under 16, showed that only 9% thought the ban was a good idea, and 72% believed it would not work. Some teens have told media that they expect to get around the ban, probably with some help from friends or older siblings, or even parents. … In a tussle between the kids and the politicians, my money is on the kids. They’ll find a hundred ways to bypass the ban before the political crowd have even let the ink dry on the Bill. And my sympathies are with them.” (12/11/25)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/bypassing-the-aussie-ban-on-under-16s
- So This Is What “America First” Looks Like
Source: The Atlantic
by Nancy A Youssef“Trump has said that his ‘America First’ approach to foreign policy includes employing transactional diplomacy to benefit the U.S., stopping other nations from ‘taking advantage’ of American support, and using force to defend the Western Hemisphere. But events in Somalia suggest that ‘America First’ often looks very different in practice, especially when it comes to the use of the military. Trump may have avoided sending large numbers of troops to war in operations oriented around nation-building. But he has aggressively intervened in conflicts around the world, typically with a torrent of expensive air strikes launched from out of harm’s way or with the deployment of small groups of Special Forces.” (12/11/25)
- “Kill Them All”
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano“As we learn more about the events on Sept. 2, 2025, in international waters 1,500 miles from the United States, the behavior of the United States military becomes more legally troubling than at first blush. We have learned from members of Congress and others who have seen the videos of the attacks on the speedboat that day that the first strike mainly — but not completely — destroyed the boat and killed 9 of the 11 persons aboard. The two survivors clung to the wreckage for 45 minutes, during which they frantically waved at what they hoped were American aircraft, expecting to be rescued. … After the passage of 45 terrifying minutes, three more attacks obliterated the two survivors and their wreckage, for ‘self-defense,’ the White House said. … Not rescuing these survivors was criminal. But the entire killing process is criminal.” (12/11/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2025/12/10/kill-them-all
- America’s new trade policy isn’t about economics — it’s about power
Source: The Hill
by Marc L Busch & Joel P Trachtman“The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy, released last Thursday, makes one thing unmistakably clear: The United States no longer sees trade policy as a tool of economic betterment that depends on cooperation with other countries. It now treats trade as hard power to be deployed against friend and foe alike, rather than to be negotiated to maximize benefits to the U.S. For decades, Republican and Democratic administrations alike viewed trade as a means of promoting growth, lowering costs, opening markets and deepening integration. This new strategy flips that logic on its head. Trade is no longer something the U.S. does to improve economic outcomes. It is something Washington wields unilaterally to restructure the world — to coerce other governments and to project power.” (12/11/25)
https://thehill.com/opinion/5642843-national-security-strategy-trade/
- Newsom’s “National Model” for Homeless Wracked by Fraud
Source: Real Clear Investigations
by Ana Kasparian“Gov. Gavin Newsom has made reducing the homelessness crisis in California a top priority, saying the scale of the state’s efforts is ‘unprecedented’ and calling for the continued expansion of his signature effort (Project Homekey) that has already cost $3.75 billion. But in a state with more than 181,000 homeless individuals, or about one-third of the U.S. total, Homekey has been marred by failures and scandals, including a lack of government oversight and accountability as well as a federal investigation into allegations of fraud in Los Angeles. Newsom, who appears to be preparing for a presidential bid in 2028, could make Homekey, which he calls a ‘national model’, a talking point in his campaign.” (12/11/25)
- Implementing new licensing pathways that work for international doctors and American patients
Source: Niskanen Center
by Jonathan Wolfson, Lawson Mansell, & Katherine Hall“Over one-third of U.S. states have created alternative licensing pathways for internationally trained physicians (ITPs) to address the worsening physician shortage. Medical boards play a crucial role in the success of these new laws and should honor the legislative intent of a true alternative pathway by removing unnecessary barriers and providing consistent guidance to employers and doctors. States should ensure these licensing pathways enable ITPs to find sponsors, get hired, and practice fully to maximize workforce impact and patients’ access to quality medical care.” (12/11/25)
- Populism, Democracy and Choosing “the People”
Source: Gideon’s Substack
by Noah Millman“[W]hile the conservative majority on the Court could in fact allow limitations on birthright citizenship without patently shredding the plain meaning of the 14th Amendment, it could still do so without actually affirming Trump’s executive order. It could say that the order doesn’t violate the plain meaning of the constitutional text, but does violate the understanding of that text embedded in numerous pieces of legislation, acts of Congress that implicitly or explicitly endorse the established interpretation of the clause. Therefore, it would require an act of Congress to affirmatively change that interpretation by enacting restrictions on birthright citizenship through legislation.” [editor’s note: But why would SCOTUS lie and pretend that the order doesn’t violate the plain meaning of the constitutional text? – TLK] (12/11/25)
https://gideons.substack.com/p/populism-democracy-and-choosing-the
- Congress must fix hemp ban that threatens Kentucky farmers
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Jimmy Higdon“Kentucky’s hemp sector has become a national model, built on bipartisan cooperation and guided by regulatory oversight from the Department of Agriculture. This provision puts all of that at risk.” (12/11/25)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/congress-must-fix-hemp-ban-that-threatens-kentucky-farmers/
- Is Trump the New Nero?
Source: TomDispatch
by Liz Theoharis“As more of the Epstein files are released, reminding us of Donald Trump’s close association with Jeffrey Epstein and the young people he abused and trafficked, as well as the president’s ongoing array of misogynist insults and actions (like calling journalist Catherine Lucey ‘piggy’ and name-calling Marjorie Taylor Greene to the point where she jumped ship), what keeps coming to my mind are the sexual exploits of authoritarians throughout history. As a scholar of the New Testament and the origins of Christianity, I have a special interest in the lives of the Roman emperors — in particular, the notorious Emperor Nero. According to historians of antiquity (trigger warning here!), Emperor Nero was known to use and abuse many people, especially women, allegedly murdering two of his wives and his aunt while sleeping with a Vestal Virgin and — yes! his mother before he killed her.” (12/11/25)
- The Ghosts of Christmas Past
Source: Independent Institute
by K Lloyd Billingsley“Tidings of discomfort, in a white coat supremacy Christmas.” (12/11/25)
https://www.independent.org/article/2025/12/11/the-ghosts-of-christmas-past/
- Why a ceasefire is not enough: A call to block the bombs
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
by LInda Holtzman“This Hanukkah, while Jews around the world prepare to light the menorah and bring light into the darkest days of winter, our celebration of hope and resilience remains in the shadow of Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. And, nearly two months into a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, I am still protesting. Hanukkah, which in Hebrew means dedication, tells the story of Jewish peoples’ resistance to an oppressive empire, and of a miracle that kept candles aflame for eight days and eight nights when there was only enough oil for one. It is a story that resonates to this day, and it is in the spirit of hope, light, and miracles that I find myself rededicating to the struggle for Palestinian liberation.” (12/11/25)
- The Attack on Somalis is Hate Politics
Source: Unpopular Front
by John Ganz“Ask yourself: If someone were actively trying to incite a pogrom against Minnesota’s Somali community, what would they do differently than Trump and his allies are doing now? And, if the government were controlled by David Duke, would it behave any differently? Don’t lie to yourself that this is just about the fraud investigation. That’s cover: A way to help the normies sleep at night. Trump is bashing the entire ethnic community, calling them ‘garbage,’ and menacing them as a group. It’s now combined with state repression: ICE agents have descended on Minneapolis. A U.S. citizen was ‘wrongfully’ detained by ICE agents for looking Somali. … Again, don’t lie to yourself: this wasn’t an accident. ‘Mistakes’ like this one do the dirty work. The point is to terrorize this community. To make them feel unwelcome. To say to them, ‘You’re not Americans, and you’ll never be.'” (12/11/25)
https://www.unpopularfront.news/p/the-attack-on-somalis-is-hate-politics
- Flashback to 2009: Obamacare Creates a Mess for Others to Clean Up
Source: Town Hall
by Larry Elder“The Affordable Care Act was passed upon a mountain of lies about ‘bending the cost curve’ and phony cost estimates. Not a single Republican in the House or Senate voted for it. The subsidies Obamacare shoveled to insurance companies — that enriched them greatly — are set to expire exactly as the Democrat designers planned. This will cause premiums to skyrocket. Right on cue, Democrats label the failed Obamacare promises a ‘Republican health care crisis’. In 2019, right before President Barack Obama signed the bill, I wrote the following column in which I predicted he would be long out of office when the true bill came due, leaving others to clean up the mess. Here are excerpts: Americans overwhelmingly like their health care and their health insurance. While Americans reject Obamacare, the president and Congress insist on driving it through. Most Americans, up to 85 percent, already have health insurance and are satisfied with it.” (12/11/25)
- The Trump Administration’s Policies Are Disrupting the Balkans
Source: The American Conservative
by Giorgio Cafiero“Siniša Karan’s victory in the November 23 snap presidential election for Republika Srpska, one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constituent polities, reinforces the enduring grip of the former President Milorad Dodik. Declaring that his opponents had merely ‘got two Dodiks’ this time, Dodik made clear that his influence remains undiminished. Dodik stepped down, following a court decision that required Dodik to pay a fine that spared him a prison sentence for actions undermining Bosnia and Herzegovina’s delicate order; yet the former president of Republika Srpska continues to loom large over the Bosnian-Serb entity’s political landscape despite being officially out of office. Karan’s win came less than a month after U.S. President Donald J. Trump suddenly and surprisingly lifted U.S. sanctions on Dodik, which had been in place since early 2017.” [editor’s note: Why should the US regime be sanctioning politicians in other countries in the first place? – TLK] (12/11/25)
- The Specter of Al Capone is Haunting Poland
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Andrzej Strojny“To American observers, Poland can appear to be an example of successful political transformation. A country that threw off the yoke of communism in 1989, shifted towards a market system, and this year ranked 20th among the world’s largest economies. However, more than 30 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the demons of state tyranny are reawakening on the Vistula River. This time, the threat to freedom does not come from Moscow, but from local town halls. In selected cities, bans on the sale of alcohol by shops at night are being introduced. Under the guise of health concerns, regulations are being introduced that, in fact, restrict consumer freedom and harm small businesses.” (12/11/25)
https://fee.org/articles/the-specter-of-al-capone-is-haunting-poland/
- Signs of the regulatory apocalypse
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jackie Calmes“The confluence of two seemingly unrelated news events in recent days — the first one roiling Hollywood and media from coast to coast, the other playing out before the Supreme Court — was nothing short of uncanny. And disturbing. The first news was the one-two punch of Friday’s bombshell that Netflix planned to swallow up Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business to create an entertainment industry behemoth, and then Monday’s competing hostile bid from jilted suitor Paramount Skydance for all of Warner. And in between, on Sunday, President Trump — tuxedoed and speaking on a red carpet, appropriately enough — proclaimed matter-of-factly ‘I’ll be involved’ in deciding the winner.” (12/11/25)
- Trump’s Oil Piracy Shows Why the Push for Renewable Energy Is the Push for Peace
Source: The Crucial Years
by Bill Mckibben“I don’t know enough maritime law to tell you exactly why it’s wrong for America to be dropping troops onto tankers to seize them—just to say that, no matter what legalistic excuse the administration cooks up, it looks exactly like being a pirate. (It’s worth remembering that the US Navy was founded largely to take on piracy, and thanks to the Barbary corsairs, the early Americans had a lot to say about the subject. George Washington, for instance: Pirates are ‘enemies to mankind’.) But I can tell you this. In the ever-shrinking mind of our current president, the reason why it’s good to seize a tanker is because it carries oil, and oil is the source of all strength, his contemporary equivalent to pieces of his eight.” (12/11/25)
https://billmckibben.substack.com/p/pirates-of-the-anthropocene
- The Knowledge Socialists (Still) Can’t Calculate
Source: The Daily Economy
by Art Carden“The ‘calculation problem’ is not a computational problem. It’s an epistemic problem. It isn’t that it was too hard to gather the necessary data and do the required calculations in 1920 (when Ludwig von Mises published ‘Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth’) or 1945 (when F.A. Hayek wrote ‘The Use of Knowledge in Society’) or 1985 (when Don Lavoie published Rivalry and Central Planning: The socialist calculation debate reconsidered). … The problem is that the data don’t exist unless the means of production are bought and sold in free markets – which means that modern technosocialists enamored with generative AI as the technology that will finally solve the calculation problem are missing the point.” (12/11/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-knowledge-socialists-still-cant-calculate/
- Think tanker altered Ukraine war map before big Polymarket payout
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Nick Cleveland-Stout“On November 15, as Russian forces were advancing on the outskirts of the town of Myrnohrad in eastern Ukraine, retail investors placed risky bets in real time on the battle using Polymarket …. If Russia took the city by nightfall — an event that seemed exceedingly unlikely to most observers — a handful of retail investors stood to earn a profit of as much as 33,000% on the battle from the comfort of their homes. When nightfall came, these longshot gamblers miraculously won big, though not because Russia took the town (as of writing, Ukraine is still fighting for Myrnohrad). Instead, it was because of an apparent intervention by a staffer at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a D.C.-based think tank that produces daily interactive maps of the conflict in Ukraine that Polymarket often relies on to determine the outcome of bets placed on the war.” (12/11/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/isw-polymarket-ukraine-war-map/
- Glimmers of a Post-Trump World
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker“Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan, recently said that he was refusing to make a contribution to Trump’s ballroom monstrosity because he was concerned how a post-Trump Justice Department might view it. This comment should be taken very seriously. JP Morgan is by far the largest bank in the country, which Dimon has run for two decades. Also, Mr. Dimon is an astute businessman who clearly puts business above politics. Early in 2024 he gave Trump a pseudo-endorsement when he famously said that he thought the economy would do fine regardless of whether Trump or Biden won. That he is now thinking of a world with a normal Justice Department is huge. It’s not just Dimon who is thinking about a world beyond Trump. A near record number of Republican members of Congress have announced their retirement.” (12/11/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/12/11/glimmers-of-a-post-trump-world/
- Common Belief Versus Common Knowledge
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis“On December 21, 1989, Romania’s communist dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu, strode onto the balcony of the presidential palace to address an enormous crowd. Many in the square below had been bused in to show their support, and surrounding buildings had been draped with propaganda posters hailing his brilliant leadership. As soon as he began to speak, however, some of the crowd started to boo and hiss, and the murmurs of dissent swelled into a crescendo that drowned him out. His advisers urged him inside, and the regime cut off the national broadcast. It was too late. In that instant, the entire nation saw that multitudes of their compatriots hated him, just as they did themselves, though until then only in private. Within days, Romanians were in open revolt, and Ceaușescu was executed on Christmas Day. The demonstration created public knowledge of what had previously been widely held private knowledge.” (12/11/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/common-belief-versus-common-knowledge/
- Minnesota’s botched legal weed rollout reeks of DEI, corruption & Tim Walz
Source: Fox News
by David Marcus“One would think that running a profitable legal marijuana industry would be just about the easiest thing in the world, but don’t tell that to the Democrat leadership of Minnesota, which allowed wokeness and apparent corruption to grind their legalization rollout into dust. Wherever one lands on the benefits or increasingly evident harms of marijuana legalization, once a state decides to do it, it has a responsibility to do it in a way that most benefits all the citizens. Of course, Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Democrats made it all about social equity.” (12/11/25)
- How the Next Big Thing in Carbon Removal Sunk Without a Trace
Source: Wired
by Alexandra Talty“With support from Microsoft, Stripe, and Shopify, Running Tide billed itself as on the cutting edge of carbon removal. In the end, it resorted to dumping thousands of tons of wood chips in the sea.” (12/11/25)
- Impeach and Remove the Bastards
Source: Liberal Currents
by Adam Gurri“Let’s say the unlikely happens and Democrats take both houses in 2026. Surely that means nothing for removing people from office, right? You’ll never get two-thirds of the Senate no matter how big your majority. And if we get a majority at all, it is likely to be a slim one. No, that’s quitter talk. We can do this.” (12/11/25)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/impeach-and-remove-the-bastards/
- Exploring The Chile Project
source: EconLog
by JP Bastos“Any book that intends to provide a complete account of a chapter covering almost 70 years in the history of ideas is an ambitious achievement by itself, especially when it is centered around a fuzzy concept like neoliberalism. If such a book also attempts to cover decades of economic history, discussing the evolution of policymaking and the intellectual and political debates that shaped it, one would probably worry that the author is trying to accomplish too much. Now, add that the author will try to do so while navigating murky waters, surrounded by the history of a violent dictatorship and the overall context of Latin American politics of the Cold War era. It seems like a recipe for failure. Yet, to the great benefit of his readers, Sebástian Edwards accomplishes all this brilliantly. The Chile Project: The Story of the Chicago Boys and the Downfall of Neoliberalism is nothing short of a monumental achievement.” (12/11/25)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2025/bastoschileproject
- Rose Wilder Lane, Frontier Prophet of Freedom
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Alan Mosley“On December 5, 1886, on a windswept homestead near De Smet in Dakota Territory, Rose Wilder Lane entered a world of adversity. She was the only surviving child of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder. Within a few short years her family’s cabin burned, her parents were stricken with diphtheria, her father suffered a crippling stroke, and severe winters forced them to leave the prairie. Those early calamities impressed on Lane two lessons that would define her life: that individual fortitude matters more than fate, and that no external authority can substitute for self‑discipline. … By age sixteen she was supporting herself as a Western Union operator, moving from town to town and reading voraciously after her night shifts. The hardships of her youth fostered a fierce independence that would blossom into a philosophy.” (12/11/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/rose-wilder-lane-frontier-prophet-of-freedom
- The Bipartisan War on Prices Is Coming for Your Credit Card
Source: Reason
by Veronique de Rugy“The strange new alliance between democratic socialists and nationalist populists isn’t a sign of political healing. It’s a sign that people have lost their grip on basic economics.” (12/11/25)
https://reason.com/2025/12/11/the-bipartisan-war-on-prices-is-coming-for-your-credit-card/
- Trump’s Deportations Are Ripping Mothers from Their Babies
Source: The Bulwark
by Mona Charen“Again and again, Trump administration goons have insisted that they are deporting only the ‘worst of the worst … rapists, savages, monsters.’ They have even — and this is one of the most vile aspects of this government — encouraged their base to revel in the misery of their victims by releasing videos lovingly dwelling on images of people being bound and frog-marched toward the planes. The videos are titled ‘ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight.’ If their intended audience experienced a tingle of pleasure, they might want to fact check the administration’s claims. A Cato Institute report based on leaked ICE information showed that 73 percent of deportees had no criminal convictions and only 5 percent had a conviction for a violent crime.” (12/11/25)
- Trump Intensifies His Crusade to Re-Whiten America
Source: Common Dreams
by Chuck Idelson“As the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence nears, President Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on immigrants of color has made his administration the most globally racist, hostile administration for non-white immigrants in US history, on top of its aggressively implemented racist policies in the US and around the world. In the past two weeks alone, we’ve witnessed Trump’s racist rants against the Somali community in Minnesota, the freezing of all non-white asylum bids, and denial of citizenship rights for long-time legal immigrants from non-white majority nations. These come on top of the increasingly violent assaults and deportations of mostly brown and Black people, including citizens, solely based on skin color, language, and where they work. The November 26 shooting, one fatally, of two National Guard members in Washington was the pretext for the latest intensification of Trump’s anti-non-white immigrant crusade.” (12/11/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-immigration-racism
- The Political Orphanage, 12/11/25
Source: The Political Orphanage
“The Secret Map of Supreme Court Justices.” (12/11/25)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/the-secret-map-of-supreme-court-justices
- The Libertarian Angle, 12/11/25
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Trump’s Welfare Plan for American Farmers.” (12/11/25)
- The Bulwark Podcast, 12/11/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Why a Deep-Red District Just Shifted 13 Points (w/ David French).” (12/11/25)
- The Fifth Column, episode 536
Source: The Fifth Column
“Nobody Likes a Gossip Cop (w/ Dan Abrams).” (12/11/25)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/nobody-likes-a-gossip-cop-w-dan-abrams
- Rising, 12/11/25
Source: The Hill
“Rand Paul demands vote on Venezuela War: ‘I’m old-fashioned.'” (12/11/25)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5644056-rising-december-11-2025/
- Conflicts of Interest, episode 859
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Will Zelensky Allow New Elections in Ukraine?” (12/11/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-859-will-zelensky-allow-new-elections-in-ukraine
- Mark Thornton on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Mark Thornton on the Boom Bust Cycle and the Federal Reserve.” (12/11/25)
- Radio Atlantic, 12/11/25
Source: The Atlantic
“He’s Undocumented. She’s Not.” (12/11/25)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2025/12/immigration-undocumented-self-deportation/685205
- Mean Age Daydream, 12/11/25
Source: Lions of Liberty
“The Damned Paradox of Developing AI / Massie Bill to Veto NATO.” (12/11/25)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 12/11/25
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Ahoy! Pirate Trump Seizes Venezuelan Oil Tanker – ‘We’ll Keep The Oil!'” (12/11/25)
https://rumble.com/v72w1p6-ahoy-pirate-trump-seizes-venezuelan-oil-tanker-well-keep-the-oil.html
- The Tom Woods Show, episode 2716
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“Who Enslaved the Most? And Other Questions with Dominic Frisby.” (12/11/25)
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2716-who-enslaved-the-most-and-other-questions-with-dominic-frisby/
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 12/11/25
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Zionist Meltdown as Control Over Narrative Evaporates.” (12/11/25)
- Advisory Opinions, 12/11/25
Source: The Dispatch
“The Illusion of Campaign Finance Reform.” (12/11/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/the-illusion-of-campaign-finance-reform/